Award-Winning Airline Adds New U.S. Gateway To World’s Largest Network

Turkish Airlines flies to 345 destinations in more different nations than any other carrier in the world, with one of the newest and most acclaimed airports as its hub. It also consistently ranks among the very best airlines and just won–again–Best Airline in Europe in the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards, the industry’s most influential, beating out the likes of Air France, Swiss, Lufthansa, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It also took home four other Number Ones in the awards, including Best Economy Class Seat in Europe and Best Business Class Cuisine worldwide. (I recently wrote in detail here at Forbes about another award-winning carrier, Qatar Airways, which has won World’s Best Airline and World’s Best Business Class among other titles).

The new $12-billion state of the art hub airport in Istanbul was ranked the 6^th best on earth by Skytrax, as well as the World’s Most Family Friendly. On top of all this, Turkish Airlines usually offers one of the best value price points for both economy and premium cabins. I just checked fares for an upcoming trip to South Africa, and they were less expensive than many airlines I consider inferior. Yet for some reason, it still seems to lack brand recognition here, and many American travelers overlook Turkish when deciding who to fly internationally. I think that can be a big mistake.

All of this explains why it is big news for travelers, especially Delta and United frequent fliers and those in the Midwest, that Turkish just started flying non-stop from Detroit to Istanbul, making the Motor City its 13^th gateway airport in the U.S. (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC) and 16^th in North America (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal). Thrice-weekly flights commenced last month, and the schedule is increasing to four days per week from Christmas Day.

Detroit is the 10^th largest city in the country, hotbed of the automotive industry, a major international hub, and easy to get to from many parts of the country, especially for Delta fliers, as it is one of their key airports. Turkish Airways is part of Star Alliance, which I think is the best of the airline alliances, with United here as well as some of the world’s top carriers including ANA, Air New Zealand, EVA Air, Lufthansa, SAS, Singapore, Swiss and Thai.

“The capital of the automotive world is now connected directly with the capital of world history,” said Michael Patrick Shiels, a Michigan-based broadcaster whose award-winning drive-time radio show is syndicated across the state, longtime travel journalist and the author of several books, most recently Travel Tattler: Less Than Torrid Tales. Shiels raved about his experiences om Turkish but previously had to fly to another gateway to connect. “Detroit and Istanbul are two user-friendly, very pleasant, aesthetically pleasing airports, and speaking of aesthetics, I love Turkish Airline’s in-flight meal service. They have a “flying chef” in full regalia, even a toque, serve Mediterranean specialties to get you in the mood, and even put small, faux candles on the tray, all these little touches, just a great job.”

Because of the strategic location of Istanbul, a city spilt by a river into a European side and an Asian side, the hub allows U.S. passengers to reach popular destinations across Europe, as well as Africa and the Pacific Rim, often with a more direct and efficient routing than any other airline. I flew Turkish when I had to go to Nairobi for work, and the schedule was great. I’ve flown them just to go to Istanbul, one of the world’s most exotic and interesting cites and I’ve flown them to go to other destinations in Turkey, including such popular tourist hotspots as Cappadocia and Bodrum.

I’ve flown recently in both their excellent business class and their award-winning economy, and I’ve been wowed by both, especially since it is almost always one of the least expensive options for either. On a domestic flight just over an hour long in business they still hand out menus and serve a multi-course plated meal that is a very good by in-flight standards, even though there is barely time for it and many carriers don’t even run a beverage cart down the aisle on such short legs. I was also wowed by their flagship Istanbul lounge, which in addition to “street food” inspired stalls serving Turkish specialties throughout, has niceties including a golf simulator and flight simulator in addition to the expected luxury bells and whistles such as shower suites and nap rooms.

Have a long layover? Even better than the lounge–which is fabulous–Turkish Airlines offers a free transit hotel room for any economy class passengers with a connection time of 12-plus hours, or business class passengers with nine or more. When was the last time an airline put you up for free in a hotel just because you had a long, scheduled layover, even if there is no delay? All you have to do is go to well-marked Turkish Airlines Hotel Desk in the Transfer Area.

Two other important potential advantages of flying Turkish are the airline’s free stopover offer and free city tours. Both allow you to enjoy the cultural charms and cuisine of one of the world’s most exotic cities–even if you are not going to Turkey on your trip. Think of it as a bonus vacation.

Any passengers with a connection time of at least 20 hours (while this would be unusual on a normal routing, you can simply schedule an extra day or two or three between legs to take advantage) can request complimentary lodging with one of the airlines’ hotel partners. While passengers traveling from certain countries are limited in use or based on their final destination, those leaving from the U.S. can utilize this to any country beyond Turkey. In addition, lodging allowances are significantly higher for those flying from the US–for every other country of embarkation, passengers flying economy get one free night in a 4-star hotel and those flying business get two free nights in a 5-star (Turkish national rating system, not Forbes). But from the U.S. those are two nights and three nights respectively. Bookings need to be made at least 72 hours in advance.

The city tours are for those with layovers of 6-24 hours, and are a much better way to fill your time than sitting in the airport. These “Touristanbul” offerings include half-day, full-day, afternoon, evening, Bosporus, shopping and historical tours, from 3.5-8 hours long and offered from 8:30AM through 6:30 PM. They include roundtrip transfers from the airport, and all you need to do is walk up to the Touristanbul counter at the Turkish Airlines Hotel Desk in the Transfer Area.

Bear in mind that for any of the three Istanbul programs (transit hotel, city hotel or city tour) you leave the airport and need to meet Turkish immigration requirements, which currently means applying for an online visa (fast and easy).

Safe travels!